Why Jason Kidd Signing Will Blow Up in Knicks Face

Isiah Thomas may not be at the helm of the New York Knicks anymore, but the organization still managed to make a signing that will blow up in the face of the team. 

After Jason Kidd was arrested on a DWI charge, it's more and more clear that the Knicks made the wrong move by bringing aboard the veteran point guard. 

In a span of just 24 hours, the Knicks went from having a player who was perceived to be a solid mentor backing up a media sensation/breakout player, to having a drunk driver backing up a notoriously out-of-shape player. 

The transition from Jeremy Lin to Raymond Felton, coupled with the mistake of the former Dallas Mavericks floor general, is going to be quite costly. 

Kidd was brought to The Big Apple for two reasons:

1. To mentor Jeremy Lin and help Linsanity live on. 
2. To provide valuable minutes off the bench. 

It only took a day for both of those goals to be completely and utterly shattered. 

The man who—ironically enough—was named the winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award last season is no longer going to be serving as a mentor to Lin. All indications point towards the former Harvard guard changing locations and joining the Houston Rockets. 

There's still time for the Knicks to change their minds and match the Lin offer sheet, but it appears highly unlikely after the acquisition of Felton, an unrestricted free agent who last played with the Portland Trail Blazers. 

Felton is a tougher player to shape, because he's already 28 years old and has plenty of NBA experience. Plus, speaking of shape, he's usually out of it. 

As a result, the second goal is inherently more important. 

Kidd is now 39 years old, and he'll be 42 by the time this contact—likely his last in the NBA—expires. Despite his legendary NBA career, he can't be counted on for much production anymore and is much better off providing fairly efficient bursts of energy off the bench for limited periods of time. 

Without Lin running the show, the point guard position is weaker and Kidd might have to step up, taking on a bigger role than he can handle with his advanced age. 

More minutes are not necessarily more valuable minutes, which makes failing the second goal a possibility as well. 

Furthermore, Kidd managed to embarrass the Knicks organization just days after he was brought aboard. Driving while under the influence of alcohol is one of the stupidest things someone can do, and is the cause of too many needless deaths.

Kidd only hit a telephone pole and he was the one injured, with minor injuries no less. However, what if that wasn't a pole? 

Veterans need to make good decisions and provide leadership for the team—not make an idiotic mistake that is quite easily avoidable. 

The Kidd signing may not have blown up in the Knicks face quite yet, but the match has been lit and it's awfully close to the fuse.